‘Gilmore Girls’: 3 Ways Jackson Belleville Was Actually Completely Awful
Gilmore Girls fans are fairly certain that Luke Danes and Lorelai Gilmore belong together. They aren’t so sure about another major couple from the series. Sookie St. James, a head chef, and Jackson Belleville, a vegetable farmer, seemed like a perfectly suited pair when they got together in season 1. Years later, fans have a problem with how Jackson behaved toward Sookie. He had several incredibly problematic moments. Do you remember them?
Jackson was passive-aggressive and tried to undermine Sookie
Many couples in Gilmore Girls had bad communication skills, but Jackson seems to be the only character who went out of his way to undermine his partner. Sookie, as a head chef, spent much of her time arguing with Jackson about her produce order. He brought her whatever he wanted and refused even to let her see produce that he considered “subpar.”
In the early 2000s, the showrunner, Amy Sherman-Palladino, presented Jackson as a perfectionist, but with a 2021 lens, he looks a lot different. Jackson seemed to think he knew better than Sookie. A head chef surely can figure out good produce and bad produce. Jackson refused to acknowledge her abilities. Jackson also expected Sookie to read his mind. When she didn’t know what he was getting at, like when he wanted to move into her house, he gave her the silent treatment. His behavior went past petty and can only be described as passive-aggressive.
Jackson Belleville lied to Sookie about getting a vasectomy
Gilmore Girls fans likely could have forgiven many of Jackson’s poor behaviors, but the couple’s season 7 storyline officially makes him one of the worst characters on the show. In season 7, Sookie becomes unexpectedly pregnant to accommodate Melissa McCarthy’s real-life pregnancy. Two seasons before, Sookie had set up a vasectomy for Jackson. He claimed he had the procedure done.
Later, Jackson admitted he had lied and never actually had the vasectomy. Instead, he allowed Sookie to believe that he had completely handled their family planning. Technically, the season 7 storyline could be considered reproductive coercion.
Jackson had a difficult time controlling his emotions, even in public
Jackson’s most horrific moment was lying to Sookie about getting a vasectomy, but long before Sookie found herself unexpectedly pregnant in season 7, Jackson’s behavior was troubling. He yelled at her over vegetables and was rude to her friends. A Reddit fan points out that Jackson’s meltdown over his “childbearing arrangements” at the 24-Hour Dance Marathon was especially problematic.
All told, Jackson was kind of awful to his wife and even her friends. While Sherman-Palladino likely intended to present Jackson as quirky and eccentric, he was more problematic than that. Jackson behaved in ways that can be considered emotionally abusive. Lying about major life decisions, undermining his wife’s abilities, and having angry outbursts in public are all major red flags.
